Breaking news: Power outage at HP Pavilion this morning means it’s not business as usual

A power outage at HP Pavilion this morning has disrupted the usual game day routine. Emergency power — think dim lights — is available so a few players are expected to be out on the ice, but the usual morning skate appears to be off for both teams.

Electricity was lost about 8:40 a.m. and PG&E crews are on the scene, but so far no word yet on what’s causing the problem.

Important point to make: I’m advised the quality of the ice won’t be compromised unless there’s a loss of power for six to eight hours.

Obviously they need to get things back to normal down here if the game is to go on as scheduled. And it figures that it’s the Detroit Red Wings who are in town. The only NHL game ever postponed by rain involved the same two teams when flooding of the nearby Guadalupe River prevented safe access to the building in 1995.

David Pollak

David Pollak has been following the NHL forever and at the Mercury News as an editor or reporter since 1987. For almost a decade he wrote about the Sharks as the paper's Fan in the Stands before joining the sports department in 2001. He became the Sharks beat writer before the 2007-08 season and began this blog at that time. You can also follow him on Twitter at @PollakOnSharks.